China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Teaching and modeling professionalism in health professions
Published in Joseph A. Balogun, Health Care Education in Nigeria, 2020
Prudent hand hygiene includes diligently cleaning and trimming of fingernails, which often trap dirt and germs and contributes to the spread of some infections, such as pinworms. Longer fingernails harbor more dirt and bacteria than short nails and potentially contribute to the spread of disease. Fingernails or toenails infection is indicated by swelling and pain in the surrounding area and thickening of the nail. In some cases, these infections may be severe and need to be treated by a physician (CDC, 2001).
Tropical Colorectal Surgery
Published in Peter Sagar, Andrew G. Hill, Charles H. Knowles, Stefan Post, Willem A. Bemelman, Patricia L. Roberts, Susan Galandiuk, John R.T. Monson, Michael R.B. Keighley, Norman S. Williams, Keighley & Williams’ Surgery of the Anus, Rectum and Colon, 2019
Meheshinder Singh, Kemal I. Deen
It is estimated that more than a billion people have soil-transmitted worm infestation of the gut,174 of which roundworm, whipworm and hookworm infestations compose the majority in the developing world. In the developed world, however, threadworm (pinworm) accounts for most of the worm infestation load. Many of these infestations may be treated effectively with anti-helminth medication, but rapid reinfection is a problem after treatment eradication. The trematode Schistosoma is particularly prevalent in Africa, China and some parts of southeast Asia, whilst in Japan it is claimed that Schistosomiasis has now been eradicated.
Pinworms
Published in Alisa McQueen, S. Margaret Paik, Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Illustrated Clinical Cases, 2018
Pinworm infestation (Enterobius vermicularis) is the most common helminth infection in the United States. Humans are the only natural host. Infections are common in pre-school and school-age children, their caretakers, and in institutionalized patients. Autoinfection occurs after scratching (fecal-oral route). Eggs beneath fingernails contaminate food, clothing, linens, and carpeting facilitating spread among household members. Adult worms lay eggs on perianal skin at night causing inflammation. Infections can be asymptomatic but a common complaint is anal itching causing difficulty sleeping and restlessness. A high worm burden can cause abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Pinworms should be part of the differential for vulvovaginitis in prepubescent females. Adult pinworms have been found in surgically removed inflamed appendices but causality has not been proven. The diagnosis can be confirmed by an adhesive pad or tape pressed to the perianal area at night or in the early morning pre-bathing. Eggs and adult worms (8–13 mm) can be seen. These are generally not passed in the stool. Pinworms can be treated with antihelminthics such as mebendazole or albendazole: Two doses given 2 weeks apart. Reinfection is common and can be reduced by treating the entire household, washing all clothes and bed linens, good hand hygiene, daily bathing, and frequent nail clipping.
Drug repurposing strategies and key challenges for COVID-19 management
Published in Journal of Drug Targeting, 2022
Shubham Mule, Ajit Singh, Khaled Greish, Amirhossein Sahebkar, Prashant Kesharwani, Rahul Shukla
Parasite infections induced by roundworms, pinworms and tapeworms are treated with niclosamide. These are some ’f the drug's primary modes of action which involve prevention of endocytosis-mediated viral entry by inhibiting cathepsin L, while others involve inhibiting (SKP2) S-phase kinases linked protein 2 and prevention of SARS-CoV2 autophagy. The drug causes a conformational modification in the spike protein of the virus, which prevents the virus and endocytosis related ACE2 receptor from binding. Niclosamide, like CQ, has antiviral effects via pH-mediated endocytosis that interferes with SKP2 activity and inhibits SARS-CoV2 replication [145]. Although there is insufficient data for the niclosamide effectiveness against COVID-19, five current RCTs will offer information ’n the drug's effectiveness for the management of COVID-19.
Levamisole-adulterated cocaine poses a concern during the COVID-19 pandemic
Published in Journal of Addictive Diseases, 2020
Konrad Marski, Antonio Meaiki, Martin Shanouda
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 we in the medical profession have been especially concerned about our patients with compromised immune systems. There is, however, a cause of immunocompromise which may escape the attention of both practitioners and researchers: consumption of adulterated recreational drugs. Cocaine in particular is noteworthy for being, at the time of writing, near uniformly adulterated with the medication levamisole.1 This medication is used as an anthelmintic and is listed on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines.2 Used in doses of 50 mg to 150 mg (adult dosing) it is indicated for the treatment of ascariasis and other infections caused by hookworms and pinworms.2 Used in the illicit drug trade it provides a filler material for cocaine which reacts similarly to that drug on basic reagent testing.3 For this reason as well as a potential synergistic recreational effect levamisole has been added to cocaine hydrochloride prior to departure from distribution sites in Mexico. Thus the majority of cocaine found outside of that country and the few cocaine-producing countries will contain levamisole in some proportion.1,4 With a levamisole content of upwards of ten percent by mass, one gram of cocaine has the potential to include upwards of 100 mg of levamisole.4 And with re-dosing being common with cocaine use it is not possible to discount a substantial exposure to levamisole even if individual doses are smaller.
Coeliac disease: beyond genetic susceptibility and gluten. A narrative review
Published in Annals of Medicine, 2019
Giovanni Mario Pes, Stefano Bibbò, Maria Pina Dore
Several studies have claimed that helminths may have a role in CD pathogenesis [75–77]. These infestations, mostly determined by pinworms (Enterobius vermicularis) and roundworms (Ascaris lumbricoides), may cause a TH2-response in the immune system and prevent an autoimmune reaction by increasing the number of regulatory T-cells [76]. In addition, several anti-inflammatory cytokines like IL-10 and TGF–β may increase as a result of helminth infestation [77]. Paradoxically, the reduced rate of chronic helminth infections among children of Western countries may have resulted in an abnormal maturation of the immune system in infancy, and possibly in increased susceptibility to autoimmune disorders including CD. Considerable evidence supports this “hygiene hypothesis”, which postulates that the improved socio-economic status of most Western populations in past decades determined a lack of childhood exposure to enteric organisms and worms, thus impairing colonization of the gut after birth [78]. This, in turn, might predispose a subject to inappropriate mucosal immune responses that could damage the epithelial barrier and further modify the gut microbiota, by generating a self-reinforcing loop. However, current evidence does not support an association between worm infestation and CD [75] and a randomized, placebo-controlled trial that tested the use of helminths in CD patients did not show any improvement in symptoms [79].